• They are perfect. A nice blend of laser-cutting and hand work (I can’t imagine how they use a laser to cut shiny stainless steel) – Glen, California
• It is beautiful and will live on my workbench to be used daily as I apply the principle of the golden mean to my designing – Bob, Vermont
• Box and calipers arrived safely…very classy. Will make a great gift – Graheme, New Zealand
• The calipers are breathtakingly beautiful! I will show them off to my potter friends & teachers! – Michael, Australia
• The caliper set arrived yesterday, and they’re gorgeous!!! – Dianne, Texas
• They look and work great and I have already used them to help me design a decorative garden fence and gate – Scott, Utah
• I just got my calipers and they are totally awesome – David, Ohio
• Caliper and the box look very, very nice – Gerhard, Austria
• The calliper has turned up and its great:) – Adam, Sweden
• Received in great shape – very nice work – Scott, Texas

The Golden Mean? What’s that?

The Golden Mean (also called The Golden Ratio, Phi, The Divine Proportion) is a simple ratio (1 to 1.618) that is considered aesthetically beautiful, and which has been used in art and architecture for thousands of years.

It frequently turns up in nature and in the human body… particularly the human face… which could go some way towards explaining its popularity in art. How it came to feature so greatly in human physiology is a bit more of a mystery.

What do Golden Mean Calipers actually do?

They open/close a bit like a compass or divider… the ratio of the distance a to b is always The Golden Mean : 1.618 to 1

In addition to this, the ratio between a, and whole width… a+b, is also The Golden Mean.

There’s a video I made here a couple of years ago… when I make a more up to date one I’ll put it here. In the meantime, here’s a great big picture.

Who would use them?

Initially I thought artists and designers… but they’ve also been used by musicians, furniture-makers, specialist artisans (potters, pipe-makers, wood-workers), architects, product-designers and cosmetic surgeons – which came as a surprise, but they’ve actually turned out to be my biggest customers.

Beyond that, they’re just neat little gadgets :)

How are they made?

The parts are initially laser-cut in Miramar, Wellington NZ – aka Hobbit-Land.

After that I de-bur, counter-sink, polish and rivet the parts. Then I spend almost as long again putting the packaging together :)

I’ve made the designs open-source (they’re available over at ponoko.com) but I’ve been making them for 3 years now, and I still come across new improved techniques and tricks of trade. There’s more to it than meets the eye.

Does anyone else make them?

Yes, there’s…
- a dentist in Harley Street in London that sells a variant that’s useful for dentists…
- a pointy Swiss version, also for dentists
- a guy in Spain who does a straight-armed version

And beyond that, DIY variants come and go – usually made out of wood or plastic… I’ve found that the tolerances aren’t that good with softer materials though.

Can you send them internationally?

Can and do. These calipers have gone all over the planet.

I charge the same for postage regardless of where they’re going. I always wind up making a bit of a loss, but a flat rate saves me having to think and I make postage free for anything over $100 anyway.

In some countries it can help to put “$0 : Gift” (eg: UK, Brazil, Indonesia) – let me know if you’d like me to do this.

How long will it take?

The post office says “5-10″ days.

When I receive an order I either get them in the post same day, or next morning… so 5-10 days after that. I always send a “thanks” email as soon as an order comes in, so will give you a heads-up if there might be a delay.

Is there a guarantee of any kind?

Yes – if anything goes wrong, replacement or money back. Lifetime guarantee. I just want people to be happy.

Cool, where can I buy some?

Here, in my shop department :)

I make 3 sizes: small, medium and large – also available as a set. As well as that, there are leather (and when I can get them, wooden) cases.

Any questions, drop me a line: